"who gave O'Sensei his rankings in Aikido?....once again he created his own art and placed himself at the top...not as much difference as we might think...."

O Sensei had the second highest teaching license issued by Sokaku Takeda (Kyoju Dari) and was authorized to teach on his behalf which in Daito Ryu is a rare honor. When he separated to form his own brand of Daito ryu or aikibudo, he became his own credential or as some like to say, "his technique spoke for itself". That's why his art has gone around the world. The frauds fool the gullible with inflated credentials. O Sensei never claimed to have what he didn't have and what he had was apparent to all. If a fraud tries to do what O Sensei did, he would eventually be exposed because as Abraham Lincoln said," You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." There is a world of difference between O Sensei and the modern frauds.